Hans Zimmer ‘Live On Tour’

One week ago, on Sunday June 5th Specifically ago ended the “Hans Zimmer – Live On Tour” tour the famous composer has-been performing THROUGHOUT Several European Countries for two months.

Since its inception on April 6 in London, and through as country clubs diverse as, Ireland and France Germany, Belgium, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Hungary, Austria Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Hans Zimmer and his musicians Have Been Offered to all of 37 concerts, almost without rest.

As Hans Zimmer account in the official booklet of the tour (Which Could Be Purchased for 15 € in stores plus concerts on Their website). “The thought of playing live in a Tour terrifies me Many People Have Asked Me Why I have not done a tour in all my years of writing. I feel vulnerable, petrified, terrified. But you can not let fear dominate your life or you dictate and Prevent your actions. So I Decided i had to do something. “

“In October 2014 I gave two concerts in London, Whose tickets Were sold out almost Instantly. DESPITE my nerves, Both concerts were great. After the first concert, I thought I would Overcome stage fright, but it was not, I again feel the second concert. And Then I Realized That fear would always Accompany me to go up on stage, but why i had to Prevent stage fright enjoy what I could live in two wonderful nights Those? “

“And so, almost two years later, I Decided to repeat the experience and chose Europe for my first live tour, for one single reason: I wanted to go home.”

 

And Hans Zimmer did not come only to this tour, as well as a choir of 24 people and a small orchestra of slightly less than 20 pieces, has been accompanied by a lot of good friends and great musicians for the occasion: Yolanda Charles – Electric Bass, Mike Einziger and Guthrie Govan – Guitars, Nick Glennie-Smith, Steve Mazzaro, Mel Wesson and Andrew Hawczynski – Keyboards and synthesizers, Ann Marie Simpson, Aleksey Igudesman and Rusanda Panfili – Violins, Tina Guo – Chelo Electric, Gary Kettel Lucy Landymore, Holly Madge and Satnam Ramgotra – percussions and drums, plus vocals from the likes of Lebo M, Zoe Mthiyane, Buyi Zama or Czarina Russell. A star cast for a luxury tour.

So, last Friday, June 3, I had the opportunity to witness the concert in Bordeaux, which I’ll discuss below.

THE CONCERT

The site chosen was the Patinoire Mériadeck Bordeaux, a skating rink with a capacity of 4,800 people when it is conditioned to host concerts. The venue was pretty full, more than 3/4, which would estimate that about 4,000 people in the place.

After 20 minutes on the official start time of the concert, and after appropriate notice public address that the delay was because he was waiting for the public was missing to come, because of problems he had at the time with traffic (a detail by the organization wait a little behind attendees to problems other), the function began.

The concert started with a soft and subtle performance of Driving Miss Daisy, with solo musicians on stage, which was soon joined Hans Zimmer himself on the piano with great applause. Then, without pause, he continued with a suite of Sherlock Holmes interpreted in conjunction with the reduced orchestra was on stage. There was representation of all sections, but no more than 3-4 instruments each, except keyboards, guitars and violins main, which were the focus of the concert.

The next topic was a suite of animated film Madagascar, and half of the piece, when the music grew, came the first surprise of the night, the curtain was behind the musicians rose, exposing a screen to project images as well as a choir of about 24 people that complemented the music we were listening.

By now it was beginning to visualize the format would have the concert: he would not be a director conducting an orchestra on stage, and it would be more like a rock concert with a group of well-matched musicians and synchronized, pivoting around the figure and the music of Hans Zimmer, with the help of certain additional orchestral instruments and choir, accompanied and adding the final musical equation.

Hans Zimmer paused after the first three issues, addressing the audience to say hello and tell some anecdote and deceased Tony Scott, thus presenting the next piece they performed: Crimson Tide to which almost without pause followed suite Angels & Demons, with interesting lighting effects and visuals on stage.

At this point one could observe one of the faults that had this concert format; the presence and importance of percussion, electronic keyboards, and guitars was such that except the first violins who were hanging out on stage, or electric cello which was also protagonist at times, the other instruments had just succumbing sonically these , and could see additional musicians play but sometimes they came to hear, being covered by the strength and power of the instruments of leading musicians.

It was a matter of sound place (like all sports venues, was not ideal for a concert sound system), but rather was a matter of balance between the instruments and the importance wanted to give the actors musicians throughout the event.

Now this issue, which was general tone of the concert, was no less enjoyable night, even if some points detracted from the overall experience.

 

Following the concert, Hans Zimmer returned to pause to address the public and tell the story of when he and Ridley Scott came together to make a “gladiator” and had the help of Lisa Gerrard for the soundtrack, giving well way to the fabulous music of Gladiator.

The next piece was a suite of music from The Da Vinci Code, that although it was correct in its interpretation and intense in its sound, not became so well achieved as at other times that I have heard (eg concert “Hollywood in Vienna” last year).

And immediately, with the stage almost in total darkness, came to me was the best moment of the night. With a tribal scream that removed the innards of all present, Lebo M, the original voice of the Lion King, entered the scene to start the fabulous suite that began with the energetic beginning of the circle of life, and that led to a show effects of light, bright colors, and the solo voices of Lebo M, Zoe Mthiyane and Buyi Zama perfectly wrapping the music coming from the stage. The best time of the concert, which brought the audience stood applauding wildly at the end of the suite.

Later, Hans Zimmer talked about his relationship with Lebo M, and recording choirs and music of the Lion King in Soweto, with the political problems that were there at the time. It followed, happened to introduce one of its main stars, Tina Guo, head of the electric cello, and said something that I found very successful and noted: “Tina is an excellent artist. Spend many years of your life to learn to play an instrument, as it has done it. Hours a day. And suddenly, there comes a time when you no longer learn more. From there, you spend the rest of your life playing this instrument and enjoying the music, and even doing tours like this with friends. It not it wonderful? “

With this sentence, and leaving alone Tina Guo on the scene, the electric cello gently plucked the expected suite Pirates of the Caribbean, which were adding stringed instruments, then show the rest of the orchestra and finish with a crescendo before ending this long topic. Here came the perfect result in a 20 minute break point, when we had about 1: 15h concert.

The second part of the concert began subtly, with a xylophone and a couple of notes that seemed to say to the public that it was time to return to the seats, when in fact, those notes that were repeated several times at short intervals for at least one couple of minutes, was the beginning of the first theme of the second part of the concert, True Romance, and which was playing percussion Hans Zimmer (“big drums” as he called it).

Followed, Hans Zimmer was put back to the piano to play Rain Man, first alone, and later accompanied by the orchestra.

The next piece, which accompanied animations on the screen that was on the stage, was Man of Steel, where electronics and percussion were so strong, they turned the chorus so that they could not hear at times. A flaw I think it should have been corrected, especially when he was already nearing the end of the tour and the issue had been interpreted many times.

After we heard the main theme of The Thin Red Line, which although sounded correctly, it was too electronic and pretty weak compared to what we’d had so far.

Another pause to introduce the next topic, where the composer and warned us that the creation of it had certain components of madness, which led to twisted effects with the voices of choirs and electronic keyboards, and with the sound guitars, to make way for the Amazing Spider-Man 2 – Electro, sounded perfect, balanced and balanced, and very well played.

Followed came another piece which promised to be a strong point of the night, the suite of The Dark Knight, but a little disappointed, because the battery was so strong that was lost at times the melody, and the effects of strobe lights they were so intense, that did not lead to a very enjoyable version of the theme. Weak and erratic, I think.

Hans Zimmer paused to discuss the creation of the music of the film, and had a few words of appreciation to Heath Ledger, pointing out that his interpretation of the Joker was very inspiring when composing music. And while the microphone, while the composer was still talking, he started playing by the orchestra and choir music of Aurora, the theme he composed when he learned of the massacre during the premiere of the film in a village of the same name in Colorado in 2012. A very emotional moment, and musically very well made.

Then came the time of the last item included in the program, a suite of Interstellar, accompanied by evocative images on the screen, and had the full force of the orchestra and a good replacement organ that both dominates the soundtrack, by the various electronic keyboards that made music.

But at this stage of the tour, the public already knew that the show did not end here, and after marching the musicians on stage, and after nearly five minutes of applause and voices, came back out on stage to play one last suite: Inception , composed of the themes Dream is Collapsing, Mombasa and Time. A great touch to a concert that lasted nearly 1: 30h in the second half and 2: 45h in total !!

IN SUMMARY

The first concert was very intense and interesting part, being the Lion King suite strong point of it. The second part, based more on electronics than in the orchestra itself was somewhat weak, although it rallied to end with the encores Interstellar and Inception (Origin).

It was a concert to use because there was an orchestra and a director as such in the middle of it, but the base were major instruments, which like a rock band, received the musical accompaniment of an orchestra reduced and a chorus.

The format was good, but the sound predominance of instruments protagonists literally eating the rest of the orchestra and choirs often it was something that finally convinced me. Still, my overall impression of the concert is that worth, and could enjoy much of the evening, as evidenced in the applause and standing ovations at the end.

Hans Zimmer gave his first concerts in London in 2014, and this year 2016, have been encouraged to make a complete tour of Europe (aside curiously countries as important as Italy or Spain), so do not be ruled out that this tour or similar happen again in the future, but yes, hopefully correcting the errors mentioned above.

In any case, if you have the opportunity for a future tour pass near where you are, do not think twice and buy tickets. The show, is worth it.